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By Yang Hau-min 楊浩民
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Today marks the 70th anniversary of the battle at Yijiangshan Island (一江山). The battle began on Jan. 18, 1955, when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army launched a large-scale invasion of Yijiangshan — north of Dachen Island (大陳島) — which was then under the control of the Republic of China (ROC). ROC Commander Wang Sheng-ming (王生明) courageously led his troops into battle.
“Our banners darken the sky; the enemy teem like clouds. Through the hail of arrows the warriors press forward,” the poem the Hymn of the Fallen says.
ROC troops were vastly outnumbered and most fell heroically in service of the country — Wang included. In the February following Yijiangshan’s loss, the government evacuated all troops and civilians on Dachen Island to Taiwan with the US’ protection. Today, Taipei City has sites such as Yijiang Street, Yijiang Park and a memorial for the soldiers who died in the battle.
China currently continues to intimidate and threaten Taiwan with military harassment, espionage and infiltration. Thus, we must support the military in countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and protect Taiwan. Taiwanese must have confidence in our military — we should not listen to pro-CCP political parties and politicians who undermine it.
Look at the war in Ukraine. Russia ranks second in global military strength — far surpassing that of Ukraine — and it does not need to cross the ocean for battle. Yet, after three years, Russia still has not conquered Ukraine. North Korea even dispatched about 10,000 troops to assist Russia, a measure that proved useless and only resulted in more casualties.
One could also look to the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. China did not need to cross the ocean to attack Vietnam, yet in the end it went home with its tail between its legs.
The best method to commemorate the troops who were martyred at Yijiangshan — to ensure their blood was not shed in vain — is to firmly uphold our democratic front line and strengthen combat readiness to guarantee China could never annex Taiwan. All Taiwanese must strongly support the military. During elections, we must not vote for pro-CCP political parties that attempt to undermine the military and damage its morale.
Which political party’s legislators are blocking the budget for Taiwan’s indigenous submarine program? Which party’s retired generals visited China to listen to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) speech?
China’s aggressive expansionist ambitions are the root cause of the crisis in the Taiwan Strait. Just as a thug needs no special reason to assault someone, the CCP needs no special reason to kill. It is certainly not as simple as those pro-CCP parties make it out to be, with their misguided claims that there would be no war so long as Taiwan “behaves” and avoids “provoking” China.
Did the residents of Yijiangshan or Kinmen try to declare independence? Not once. Yet the CCP still attacked them.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) once said he would do his utmost to prevent a war from breaking out in the strait during his lifetime. That might sound touching at first, but please note, he certainly did not say he would do his utmost to “prevent the CCP from annexing Taiwan.” Does that not imply that in the event of a Chinese invasion he would push for surrender? Last month, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) even said: “If we affirm that the People’s Republic of China’s territorial scope includes Taiwan, then what would be wrong with them recovering Taiwan?”
Are people such as these worthy of the sacrifices made by the martyrs at Yijiangshan?
Yang Hau-min is a government employee.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
